Youth Hero of the Week: David Blumenkrantz & ROPE

David Blumenkrantz is a personal friend and a pillar of this work called Rites of Passage.  I quoted him a few times in the ROP short film with a mere fraction of his indispensable contributions.  He specializes in helping communities create their own culturally appropriate, geographically specific ROP for young people.  My dream for many years has been to hire David and his team to train a cadre of facilitators to bring this work to communities everywhere.

Seeking PR Director for Warrior Films

We need a part-time Public Relations Director to do the tasks below.  The qualified candidate will have a minimum 3-5 years PR, advertising, and/or marketing experience, ideally at both local and national levels.  Though specific experience with film publicity, advertising, marketing, and outreach is helpful it is not required.  This is not a social marketing position.  It is about reaching the largest possible number of end users through the mainstream media. Diverse candidates are most welcome. This is an ideal position for a retired or semi-retired person.

Job to start ASAP.  Our hope is that it will last for 3-5 years, building in responsibility and pay, to eventually become a full-time job overseeing PR efforts for the entire company in all its different activities.  Candidates do NOT need to be located in the Bay Area.  He/she can work remotely with Director Marx.

Job Responsibilities

• ·      Bring the Youth Rites of Passage/Mentorship Movement to the attention of mainstream media at local, regional, and national levels.
  • o   to get the greatest possible number of people to watch the short film.
  • o   to get the greatest possible number of people to download and utilize the curricula.
  • o   to solicit screenings of the film at film festivals, conferences, and high profile events.
  • o   to secure paid and unpaid speaking opportunities for Frederick Marx to speak on issues related to youth rites of passage and mentorship.
  • o   to secure “to whom it may concern” project endorsement letters.
  • ·      Assist in publicizing other Warrior Films’ products, activities and efforts, including:
    • o   Journey from Zanskar (released 2009)
    • o   Boys to Men? (released 2003)
    • o   The Unspoken (released 1999)
    • o   The DocuMentoring Studio (ongoing)
    • o   our interns and volunteers program (ongoing)

Skills Required:

• ·      Good strategic and tactical thinker and planner.

• ·      Good with building relationships, on phone, in person, and via email.
  
  
• ·      Comfortable working with people and alone. Capable of being both self-directed and taking direction.
  
  
• ·      Good time management, writing, planning, and basic math skills.
  
  
• ·      Excellent computer skills across multiple programs.

• ·      Proven deal-maker: Ability to negotiate effectively and close partnership deals, always finding the win-win.

• ·      Highly self-motivated and able to work independently while delivering solid results and being accountable.

• ·      Professional self-presentation and demeanor.

Pay and Prerequisites:

• ·      Office Equipment and Expenses: Director must work predominantly from home, meeting E.D. Marx weekly by phone or in person.  Director will provide at his/her own expense computer and software tools, Internet service, unlimited phone and long distance service, and local Bay Area transportation necessary for fulfillment of all job responsibilities.  Company will reimburse Director for other out of pocket expenses including but not limited to non-local travel and creation and replication of marketing and film publicity tools, DVDs and cases, office supplies, stamps, mailers. 
• ·      Pay: $20 hour.  Max of 20 hours/week.  You must work as an independent contractor, paying state and federal taxes yourself.  Unfortunately, we do not offer benefits.  Along with bi-weekly invoices, you must submit a timesheet to account for how your hours have been spent.

TO APPLY FOR THE ABOVE POSITION, PLEASE SUBMIT:

1. A NON-GENERIC cover letter explaining your interest in working with our company, highlighting your qualifications for the desired position.

2. Email the above as an attachment and in the body of the email to: contact@warriorfilms.org

***please type “PR Director” in the subject field***

To learn more about Frederick Marx, Warrior Films, and Rites of Passage, please visit: http://www.warriorfilms.org/rites-of-passage/ and www.warriorfilms.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Youth Hero of the Week June 8, 2015

 

Every week we celebrate a youth rite of passage or mentoring organization or individual. This week it's the Men's Leadership Alliance! 

"We know that the impact of an authentic man on himself, his family, friends, community, and the world is one of generosity, compassion, joy, and service.  In real life terms this means happy and healthy partners and children, sustainable communities, effective and caring leadership, proactivity, non-violence and vision."

They promote mature masculinity through men's circles, community events, retreats, public talks, and more.  Check out their upcoming rites of passage event this summer:  Crossing the Threshold Rite of Passage to Manhood for Teen Boys Ages 13-16 ~ June 24-28, 2015.  http://bit.ly/1B427bL

We're giving away our film Journey from Zanskar!

In appreciation of you and all of our wonderful supporters we're giving away our film Journey from Zanskar!  Thank you for all you've done to continue to make our work possible!

We also want to recognize the Dalai Lama’s upcoming 80^th birthday on July 6, 2015.  What a gift he continues to be for the world!   

You can stream the entire film online or download it for free by clicking here. The password is Save Zanskar.  Click here to watch the trailer.  But please do it soon! We’re only able to extend this offer for three weeks.  If you need a Spanish subtitled version click here.  The password is the same.

For the first time ever, we're also making my Director's Statement available to the public.  You'll find it attached.  When people see the film they invariably want to know what the experience of making it was like for me and the crew.  All the answers are there. 

Journey from Zanskar features the Dalai Lama himself and is narrated by Richard Gere.  The story concerns two monks who take 17 children from Zanskar to lower India in order to help preserve their dying Tibetan culture. The story is framed as one illustration of the monks’ ongoing commitment to fulfill their Boddhisattva vows.  We're inspired by them so we're doing our small part too!

The film has been released in theaters in the U.S. and France, and has played on TV in New Zealand. It received the Best Documentary award at the European Spiritual Film Festival in Paris and the Special Jury Award for Bridging Cultures from the Arizona International Film Festival.  Below is a small selection of some of the press acclaim it has received. You can also click here for further info and photos.

• Heartbreaking. Shines a light on a place and a way of life that are rapidly changing. NY Times

• Full of suspense, vivid dangers, strong personalities and energetic tots. Surprisingly entertaining pic… seems destined for a PBS or cable airing. Thankfully eschewing sentimentality. Ronnie Scheib, VARIETY.

• Unusual intelligence, common sense, and decency; it's the rare urgent-issue movie that refuses to pummel you with the importance of its subject matter. A quiet achievement. SLANT Magazine

• Extraordinary, remarkable. Village Voice

• Effective suspense and compassion. New York Magazine

• Emotionally affecting, spiritual. Spirituality & Practice

• Americans who have taken their educational system for granted will find Journey from Zanskar a sobering reminder of how lucky they are and how much they have at their fingertips. Huffington Post.

• The debates in this country about funding for education, charter schools and test scores seem like small potatoes indeed after watching "Journey From Zanskar." Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Wondrous… A perfect, and highly imaginative complement to Hoop Dreams… It seems certain to speak to millions. Pico Iyer, author: “The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama"

• Beautiful, powerful, and heart-warming… I hope the film will bring much needed assistance to the noble Zanskari people. Robert Thurman, Founder, Tibet House.

Again, you can stream the entire film online or download it for free by clicking here. The password is Save Zanskar. 

Our simple hope is that you will share the film with as many people as possible. If you require a DVD you can order one by clicking here. We have both NTSC and PAL formats. We also have a limited number of DVDs with French subtitles.  If you know a Buddhist or school organization that would love the film please let them know so they can download their free copy today.  If you are a Buddhist or school organization please feel free to screen the film for your sangha or students at any time.

We hope you will enjoy our labor of love and service. We are a small NGO based in the U.S. Our mission: “Through filmmaking and teaching, Warrior Films bears witness to social realities, inspiring citizens worldwide to create needed social change.” If you need further assistance please don’t hesitate to reach out: contact@warriorfilms.org. If you’d like to get on our mailing list click here. We’d love to hear who you're sharing it with and what they're saying.

Yours in service to the greater good,

Frederick Marx

Movies & Meaning: Coming to Albuquerque, NM May 2015

As we reach that time when folks list their top ten films of the year, I'm eager to tell you something about a wonderful thing my friend Gareth Higgins is doing - it's a film festival-peacemaking-all singing, all dancing-extravaganza next May, and I think it's going to be amazing.  Here's Gareth to tell you about it:

"Movies and Meaning: A Dream Space is a new kind of festival for everyone who loves stories and light. (click here)

Part of the growing global movement for nonviolent transformation, Movies and Meaning is a long weekend away in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, featuring films, workshops, very special guests, dancing, magic and YOU.

From May 28th-31st, 2015, we’ll gather in Albuquerque, NM, building a temporary community dedicated to experiencing how the ideas and images we project can make everything better or worse, for ourselves, our communities, and the planet. We’ll watch some of the most transcendent films ever made - old and new - on a magnificent silver screen with fantastic sound. Films will be curated by Gareth Higgins, founding director of the Wild Goose Festival; most of the films will be surprises until we screen them, but we can tell you that the restored version of 2001: A Space Odyssey  will be screened in all its glory, as well as a special preview of an unreleased film.

We’ll participate in conversations at the intersection of contemplation and activism with the internationally renowned spiritual teacher Richard Rohr. We’ll explore how cinema can help increase or reduce real-world violence, take a field trip in the wonderful New Mexican landscape, honor local and indigenous traditions, and, because it’s not your typical film festival, every night we will DANCE. Our aim is nothing less than transcending the myth of redemptive violence. So we’ll create a dream space of new friends, extraordinary food, and the joy of story and light combining to create something we haven’t known before.

Want to be part of creating something amazing with this inaugural experience of bringing together lovers of cinema, life, and the pursuit of a better world? Then we want you to join us."

Tickets for the four day event are $299, BUT the first ten are available for only $99, and after they sell out, until December 24th they are discounted to $149.  More information and tickets available at www.moviesandmeaning.com.

Gareth again: "If you love cinema, life, and want to be part of a transformative community at the intersection of art and peace, we think this festival might just be your new home."